Instagram adds automatic purchase buttons under posts, creators are worried

Between automated ad creation and personalized recommendations, digital giants are seeking to transform every piece of content into a business opportunity.

In this vein, Instagram is currently testing a feature called "Shop the Look", capable of automatically adding shopping suggestions to posts. If the goal is to facilitate product discovery, the experiment is already generating a strong reaction among some content creators…

AI that transforms posts into shop windows

A sneak peek at Instagram's new feature – Source: Trade Offs

Discovered on the Trade Offs' Substack, The “Shop the Look” feature relies on automated analysis of images and videos posted on Instagram where AI identifies products visible in a post, then displays a button allowing users to buy similar items.

Specifically, when a user clicks on this button, the platform offers them a selection of products comparable to those featured in the post. The algorithm can then continue making recommendations to encourage further purchases.

For now, this is just a test to help users explore products that match their interests when they view posts or Reels, especially since Meta has not officially commented on this.

Creators denounce the use of their image

The problem raised by this experiment is that some creators were never informed of the appearance of these shopping buttons on their posts.

This is notably the case for influencer Julia Berolzheimer, who has over a million followers on Instagram. She only discovered the presence of the "Shop the Look" button after a user alerted her. By clicking on them, her followers were redirected to products similar to those she was wearing… but from brands she didn't know. According to the creator, some links even pointed to imitations of the items she had featured in her content. For influencers, this practice can therefore weaken the relationship of trust they have with their community, because their image becomes associated with products they have never endorsed. Beyond the issue of reputation, the impact can also be financial. Indeed, many creators use affiliate links to monetize their recommendations. If Instagram redirects users to other products, the platform potentially diverts a purchase intent generated by their content.

A trend that goes beyond Instagram…

This strategy isn't limited to Instagram, and on TikTok, a similar “Find Similar” feature is also being tested to suggest products available on TikTok Shop based on a simple video.

However, the unique aspect of these experiments is that they can be applied to any post, whether it comes from a professional influencer or a regular user. In some cases, purchase buttons have even appeared on content whose authors had no commercial intent. This development illustrates a gradual transformation of the social media model: user-generated content is becoming a directly exploitable resource for online commerce…